


Freak

by Semi_problematic



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:39:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_problematic/pseuds/Semi_problematic
Summary: Eddie was having a bad day. No, actually, it was one of the worst days of his life. At school, it was no secret he was gay, he hadn't really come out to anyone other than his small group of friends, but almost everyone could tell and they didn't like it. He was used to being shoved and having his books torn up and being called names that would make his mother cry. But what happened that day Eddie wasn't ready for.





	Freak

Eddie was having a bad day. No, actually, it was one of the worst days of his life. At school, it was no secret he was gay, he hadn't really come out to anyone other than his small group of friends, but almost everyone could tell and they didn't like it. He was used to being shoved and having his books torn up and being called names that would make his mother cry. But what happened that day Eddie wasn't ready for.

A boy from Eddies Spanish class named Sam told Eddie he wanted to meet him behind the school. He said he wanted to ask Eddie out but it was too risky to be open in front of anyone. Eddie was ecstatic, he couldn't believe a boy actually wanted to go on a date with him and it wasn't a joke. Sam didn't laugh once when he told Eddie and it made Eddies heart race and his palms sweat.

Eddie had been counting down the hours until 2:47 p.m. the time when he could go out behind the school and hopefully, get his first boyfriend. He didn't even tell the Losers where he was going, once the bell rang Eddie ran down the halls, squeezing past the groups of people crowding the halls. He kept his books tight against his chest as he ran, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. It couldn't have been healthy but Eddie didn't care for once, he was too happy to.

He made it to the back of the school by 2:49 and that's when his day slowly  started down hill. Sam wasn't out there when he was but a bunch of students were. All of them were walking towards cars and buses and bikes, not one of them was Sam. But the time Sam actually showed up Eddie had been waiting for ten minutes.

As soon as Eddie saw him his frown broke into a grin. He clambered to his feet and walked over to Sam, wiping his palms across his pants in an effort to dry them. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't come.. I'm so happy you did.. I'm.. not used to this stuff... you know, real dates, normally it's all just some joke.." Eddie babbled, carding his fingers through his used to be neat hair.

Sam smiled, his eyes lighting up bright. "There's no way I would miss out on an opportunity like this." Sam slowly began to close the small space left between them. Eddie felt like he needed his inhaler. "You're so special, Eddie.. and I'm surprised no one else has done this." Sam's finger tilted Eddies chin up, making the smaller boy look up at him. 

"Do what?" Eddie breathed out. His face was on fire and his smile was so wide it was painful.

"Beat you." Sam's boyish grin turned into something scary and evil. He pulled away and punched Eddie in the stomach as hard as he could, laughing when Eddie hunched over.

Eddie fell to his knees, his hands clutching his stomach, tears trickling across his cheeks. This couldn't be happening. Sam was his friend, he had been nice to Eddie for weeks. Eddie sniffed, wiping his eyes with one hand, his other hand still splayed across his stomach. "Please.. just.. I'm sorry, whatever I did, I'm so-" 

The toe of Sam's boot slammed into Eddies jaw, knocking Eddie off of his knees and onto his back, even more tears flooding out of his eyes. Within seconds Sam was on top of him, his knuckles bruising and cutting up Eddies cheeks, his fists never slowing down. While he punched Eddie he screamed words Eddie had learned all to well. "Faggot." "Freak." "Creep." "Stalker." With each stinging punch an equally painful word was matched, assaulting all of Eddies senses.

All Eddie could do was sob and gasp, raising his hands to block punches every chance he could. It felt like it lasted for hours, the weight of Sam cutting into his stomach and hips, his head throbbing and his heart in his stomach. He couldn't believe he fell for this. No one would want him. Let alone someone older and more handsome. He was so stupid.

After a good fifteen or twenty punches Sam climbed off, kicking Eddie in the ribs before picking up his backpack and walking away. Students rushed past, the last few crowding into the buses. It was painful. His world had stopped but he was alone. Everyone else was living and feeling at least okay while Eddies entire body felt like it was on fire.

Eddie didn't know he was sobbing until he felt hands touching him. He must've been obvious. The hands were paired with a voice, then more hands and more voices, all grabbing at him and questioning him. Eddie jerked away, shaking his head and wiping his eyes, crying even harder when he saw the blood smeared across his hands.

"Eddie." Beverly was talking. Her voice was calm, she sounded like a mother, not Eddies mother, but she sounded the way mothers should. Calm. Cool. Collected. "Hey.. Eddie, buddy, can you hear me?"

More voices.

"God. He's bleeding so bad." That voice was Ben. Thankfully he was panicking for Eddie because Eddie was sure if he wasn't sobbing from pain he would be hyperventaliting in fear.

"Bev!" Richie. "You're crowding him! Back off! He doesn't like being surrounded like this guys! Back off!" 

"Eddie." Bev was trying to stay calm. "Freaking out will only make this worse."

"How am I supposed to not freak out!? That guy could've killed him! And we would've been too late!" Richie was panicking. It was odd to hear. "Just.. let me get next to him.." 

"Guys... I t-think he needs to c-call someone.. or w-w-we do." 

"Bills right." Stan was speaking now. "This isn't alright. He could have a concussion or worse. We don't know if all he did was punch or what." 

"His mom is going to be even more pissed if we do that!" Richie sounded angry now. "We just need to let him calm down and breathe, tell us what happened, then we can deal with the hospital shit! But if he faces his mom like this we're all going to be fucked! Even Eddie!"

Everyone quieted down but Eddie could still hear their breathing. He hadn't moved since Beverly pulled him up so he was sitting. His vision was still blurred by blood and tears, his body shaking and jolting around with each sob that rippled out of his body. His gasped for air, choking each time, only causing his body to hurt even more, the fire sinking into his limbs and chest, burning him.

Hands were touching him again. They were warm and the fingers curled around his shoulders.

"Hey, Eds.. I know it hurts right now but you gotta tell me what you need. Are you having an asthma attack?" Richie spoke calmly like Bev but Eddie could tell by the way his voice wavered that he was panicking, too. 

Eddie nodded, reaching back and grabbing at Richies arms, coughing again, more tears trickling out.

Richie stuffed his hand into his backpack, slipping his hand around before gasping. He placed a small plastic object in Eddies hand.

Eddie opened up his inhaler and slipped it between his lips, triggering it over and over, trying his hardest to just breathe. But even that was becoming an almost impossible task. He dropped the inhaler when he was done, tears still falling but now he could breathe.

"Better." Richie was touching him again.

Eddie nodded again, wiping his eyes, sniffling. He looked down at his hands, another sob breaking through his lips. He took a few gasping breaths before shaking his head. "I'm fine." It came out lower than a whisper.

"Eds- 

"I'm fine!" Eddie shouted, shoving Richie away from him, shaking his head. "Just go away!" 

Everyone fell silent, all staring at Eddie with wide eyes. Bev was the first to speak again.

"Let us walk you home." She whispered. "Even if it's only one. I don't want you getting jumped again."

"Who cares if I get jumped?" Eddie huffed out, grabbing his books and backpack, stuffing each of the books inside, pulling out his fanny pack that he had hidden. (He didn't want Sam to think he was weird.) "I deserve it."

Ben reached out and patted his back. "But you don't.. I wouldn't deserve it, right?"

Ben was trying to make a point but Eddie wasn't having it. "Yeah, but you aren't a faggot."

"Oh.." Stan breathed. "Eddie.. that isn't alright. We need to tell.. even if you don't say details.. beating you because of that isn't okay."

"Just preparing me for the future." He slipped his arms through the straps of his backpack before pushing himself up to his feet.

"E-Eddie.. w-we don't think t-that of y-y-you." Bill stuttered out, his eyes burning holes into Eddies back.

Eddie shook his head again, walking down the hill towards the sidewalk, ignoring his painful it was to breathe, let alone move. He kept walking, not looking back even once. It was going good, too. No one had stopped and bothered him and no one had followed him. Or so he thought. Within a few minutes the sound of tennis shoes thudding against the concrete filled the air. Two hands grabbed Eddies arms and Eddie jumped.

"Listen, you don't have to tell me what happened but I ain't letting you go home alone." Richie grinned at him. "Plus, with all these marks you look badass." 

Eddie scoffed. "Nice try.."

"Um..how about we go get some ice cr-"

"I want to go home." Eddie replied. "And I don't want you coming with me."

"Good thing I never listen to you anyway." Richie slung his arm across Eddies shoulders. "So Sam did it?"

Eddie nodded, trying his best to hold back tears. He already looked terrible. Cut up and bruised with tears and blood smeared all over his face. 

"I'm real sorry.. I thought you two were friends."

"Yeah.." Eddie breathed. "Me too. I was wrong."

"So.. did he use that to-"

"You said I didn't have to talk about it and here we are!" Eddie snapped, whipping around. "You wanna know the truth?! He told me he was asking me out on a date and because I'm so fucking weird and ugly and jacked up I went! You know why? Because I knew it would be forever until it happened again!" 

"Eds.." 

"I'm lonely! It's not like I can go out and get a bunch of boys. There probably isn't even another boy in town who likes boys! So I went and I was happy and he acted like he was going to kiss me and then he punched me and didn't stop punching me!" 

Richie stared at him, his mouth hanging open.

"Are you happy!?" Eddie whipped around and walked down the road as fast as he could, his hands gripping the straps to his backpack.

Getting home was terrible and being home was somehow worse. Eddies mom lost it, she took him to the hospital and had him checked by two doctors and four nurses until they convinced her he wouldn't die. He wished he was going to. Then she told him no leaving. Eddie was able to convince her all he did was fall but the people at the hospital knew better. Thankfully, they didn't tell her that.

They drove home in silence and went into the house silently, too. His mother retreated into the living room while he went upstairs and locked himself in there. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, praying that the pounding in his head would go away. He had taken pain meds but all they did was dull the pain that filled his body. He tossed and turned for a while before he picked up a comic book and flopped through the pages that he had already read a thousand times before. It wasn't fun, but it was something to do.

An hour passed.

Then another hour.

And another.

They there was a tapping on his window. Eddie looked over and frowned when he saw Richie. He climbed out of bed and pulled the window open, looking up at him.

"I felt bad for bugging you earlier so I brought you candy." Richie smiled. "Do you think I can come in?"

Eddie nodded, stepping back and waiting for Richie to climb inside. Once he had climbed in Eddie shut and locked the window.

Richie dug out handfuls of candy and placed it all on Eddies bed. "So, what I did was a real dick thing to d- why are you hugging me?"

Eddie tightened his arms around Richie. "I just needed one. I could sto-"

"No!" Richie almost shouted. "Don't.. it's.. I.. it's.. just don't stop." He turned around and wrapped his arms around Eddie, rubbing his back. "Do you have a concussion?" 

"No.. just gonna be in pain for a while." Eddie whispered, hiding his face in Richies neck.

"You're wrong.. by the way." Richie breathes out seconds later.

"How am I wrong about my body? I literally went to the hospital today." Eddie muttered.

"No.. about the boy thing. Guys will like you."

"No they won't. I'm ugly and weird."

"I think you're cute." Richie put one hand on the back of Eddies head, keeping him close.

"You don't count. We're friends. You have to say that."

"Well.." Richie pulled away and played with Eddies hands. "Would I count if I had a crush on you?"

Eddie slapped his arm. "Shut up."

"I'm not kid-"

"You are. You have to be." Eddie ran his fingers through his hair. "You're so.. hot."

Richie smirked. "I know."

"And I'm me."

"Glad we went over that. Now. Do you like me back?" Richie messed with his glasses. It was one of his nervous ticks.

"I mean.. yeah."

"Really?" Richie gasped. "Like seriously."

"I was surprised, too." Eddie grinned. It was beautiful. 

"I think we're supposed to kiss now.. since we both like each other." 

Eddie nodded and hummed in agreement, stepping up to Richie and pecking his lips. Richie grabbed his face and kissed him hard, pulling away when Eddie flinched. 

"Sorry. Did I go too fast?"

Eddie shook his head. "Split lip."

"Okay.. so I guess we can wait on the kissing." Richie rubbed the back of his neck. 

Eddie nodded. "Sounds good.. boyfriend."

A grin spread across Richies face. "Okay, boyfriend."


End file.
